San Jose Sharks goaltender Yaroslav Askarov (30) defends a shot by the Buffalo Sabres left wing Beck Malenstyn (29) during the second period at SAP Center in San Jose on Tue Oct 27, 2026 (AP News photo)
By Ryan Hannagan
SAN JOSE, Calif. – The Sharks (6-6-1) took a tough 2-0 shutout loss to the Buffalo Sabres (5-4-3) for the first of three consecutive home games on Tuesday night.
Coming off a road trip that spanned six games through nine days, the Sharks returned home looking for a win. San Jose went 3-2-1 on the road trip.
The story of the Sharks lineup prior to puck drop was the news of Will Smith departing from Macklin Celebrini’s line. The duo had spent the entirety of the young season put on a line together, which changed after head coach Ryan Warsofsky adjusted the lines prior to Tuesday’s game. Smith was paired with Michael Misa at center and Mason Marchment at left wing.
Starting for the Sharks was the Goodrow-Ostapchuk-Gaudette line. Backing them up on the blue line was the pair of Orlov and Cagnoni. In net, Yaroslav Askarov.
On the opposing side, the Sabres came into Tuesday’s matchup having dropped their last three. The Sabres are coming off a season in which they made their first postseason appearance in 15 seasons. Their 4-4-1 record is not what head coach Lindy Ruff and the Sabres had in mind through the end of October. They came in with a lot to prove. At the same time, the Sabres recently have seen success in San Jose. Their last four trips to SAP have had them coming out as the winning team.
Ruff went with the starting lineup of Peyton Krebs, Beck Malenstyn and Tyson Kozak on offense. On defense he turned to Olen Zellweger and Owen Power. In net, Colten Ellis.
The first period was full of chances on both ends, none found the back of the net. Buffalo outshot San Jose 16-12, both goaltenders stood perfect. Two power plays for San Jose, one for Buffalo.
Most fans were still returning to their seats when Sabres’ defenseman Olen Zellweger scored the game’s opening goal. A low blocker-side shot beat Askarov. No other offense came to be in the middle frame. Two power plays, one apiece, both killed off.
After going scoreless through 40 minutes, the Sharks came into the final frame with the goal of scoring goals.
In the third, the Sharks passes weren’t connecting and their shots were being blocked, a trend that had been continuous throughout regulation. San Jose registered seven shots in the final frame, none finding the back of the net. In an attempt to get the tying goal, Warsofsky pulled Askarov with just under two minutes remaining in regulation. No chances came with the extra man for San Jose. Sabres’ defenseman Zack Benson stole the puck off the stick of Sharks’ rookie Ivar Stenberg in the Sabres’ offensive zone, leaving himself all alone with the empty net to seal the game with the Sabres’ second goal.
Following the outcome, one thing was apparent; this matchup was a battle of goaltending. Both goalies played strong.
Yaroslav Askarov came into Tuesday’s game sporting a .883 SV% and a 3.44 GAA following a shaky start to the ‘2026-27 campaign. Following the conclusion of the game, Askarov ended up being the Sharks’ most valuable player despite earning the loss in net. He stopped 39/40, and made many saves off high-danger scoring chances. After his performance, he was able to raise his save percentage to .898 and was able to lower his GAA to 3.13. Askarov had a 2.36 GSAX (Goals Saved Above Expected). One of his strongest performances in the young season.
On the other end of the ice, Sabres’ netminder Colten Ellis stood perfect through 60. Ellis stopped all 24 of the Sharks shots for his first shutout of the season, (second of his career). Ellis has a small sample size in the NHL, having only 20 games played, yet has come to prove himself as a reliable backup for Lindy Ruff and staff to turn to.
The Sabres have now won their last five games at SAP Center.
The Sharks face the Vancouver Canucks for their next game, 7:00 p.m. Thursday night.
